Bringing God Joy

November 11, 2011 at 8:43 am (Baby Stevens)

Judah is now almost 10 months old! It is hard to believe that 10 months have passed with him in our lives. People often ask me, “How is life as a newmommy?” I say every time, “I knew I would love being a mom, but I love it even more than I thought I would!” He is such a joy, and I often tell him how much I love taking care of him. (as if he understands me!)

I have learned somany things about God as I take care of Judah. One of my most recent thoughts I have been pondering is how our happiness and laughter must bring God such joy. There is almost nothing greater than seeing Judah laugh and smile. He is walking behind toys right now. He happily pushes his shopping cart while smiling and laughing. He also smiles and laughs when Jordan or I come home from being gone for the day. It is so priceless to see that smile on his face. Judah is also very ticklish, so we often tickle him, only for him to squirm and laugh. He also loves for us to chase him. As he crawls, he will look back to see if we are behind him, and then crawl faster as we chase him down. He lets out a huge belly laugh every time we come after him!

It makes me wonder how God feels when His children laugh and enjoy life. I know God is not like man, but Scripture teaches that God feels emotions such as grief, sadness and joy. I imagine our laughter and happiness bring God great joy! After all, He created us and allowed us to feel these emotions! This challenges me to “lighten up” sometimes and just enjoy life. Laugh more and enjoy the small things in life. Our Father loves us, and just as Jordan and I love it when Judah is happy, I believe our Father loves it when we express our happiness and joy. Our Father’s love is so perfect!

 

 

1 Comment

Intentionality

September 29, 2011 at 9:36 am (Baby Stevens)

Intentionality. This word is thrown around a lot these days, but it is a word that often challenges me. As a mom, this word has taken on a new meaning for me in the spiritual upbringing of my son. If Jordan and I are not intentional in training Judah in the ways of the Lord, we are neglecting our calling as parents. So, how are we doing this? Now, Judah is only 8 ½ months old, but I believe that God’s Word does not return void, and I believe He is using our efforts to sow seed in Judah’s little heart.

I have been introducing new foods into Judah’s diet over the last couple of months. We started with the usual, rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, etc. As we have gotten into the fruits and veggies, I have decided to make his food rather than using jars of baby food. Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with jarred baby food. I’ve just chosen to try the homemade route. But one thing I have learned is that it would be much easier to use already prepared baby food. It takes time to precook and freeze all of the different types of fruits and veggies. And then I have to defrost food each time he eats, which means I have to plan ahead for every meal. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly not the most difficult thing I have ever done, but it does take some work.

So, what does this have to do with intentionality? I’ve been convicted that I am spending all this time on preparing food for his physical body, but do I spend that much time or more for his spiritual life? While this is just a small example, it is making me ask myself which area of his life am I going to place the greatest importance. In my heart, I know that his spiritual life is of utmost importance, but I’m afraid if I’m not careful, I will raise him with a greater emphasis on things that do not have eternal value.

As I mentioned, Judah is only 8 months old, but one thing Jordan and I do to invest into Judah spiritually at this age is our nightly reading and prayer time. Every night (that we are home for his bedtime), the three of us pile on me and Jordan’s bed for storytime and prayer. Jordan reads Judah a children’s book, I read him a Psalm of the day, and then we pray over him. Our church has given us a monthly prayer guide, so we pray a specific Scripture and a desired character trait for him. Then we give him kisses and lay him down. It is one of my favorite moments of every day. It truly is priceless to hear my husband pray over him every night.

One of the reasons we chose to read a Psalm to him every night is because the content of most of the Psalms is praise to God. Judah’s name means “Praise the Lord”, so we think it is fitting for him. Our goal is to read all of Psalms to him before his first birthday, and we are on track to do this.

I pray that as Judah grows, we look for new ways to be intentional in his spiritual training. How are you doing in this area? Are you intentionally training the next generation to love and fear God? Our world needs our intentionality.

Leave a Comment

6 months old

July 18, 2011 at 9:15 pm (Baby Stevens, Uncategorized)

Wow, time flies! Everyone told me it would, and they were right. Six months ago, our sweet baby boy was born. You know, I always knew having a baby would change our lives, but I honestly thought the changes would be harder than they have been. So many people told us to enjoy life with no kids while we could, because life would be so different. I don’t suppose they meant life would be harder, but that is how I took it. While we certainly have more responsibilities now, I would not describe life as parents as harder, but instead richer. Caring for Judah is one of the greatest joys of my life! I often find myself telling him how much of a joy he is to me.

Our summer has been full! We have traveled out of town with Judah five times in the last six weeks! Did I mention that we have a six month old baby? It has been pretty crazy! First, we went to Kamp Kingsland. Jordan served as Kamp Kingsland security, making sure students were doing what they were supposed to be doing, and I served in the same role as usual, just with a lot less responsibilites. Judah was Jordan’s little helper. He even had his very own Security onesie. Ha!

After kamp, we went to Dallas to see my side of the family. It was great to see my mom, sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew. Hailey and Gavin played well with Judah. Judah was their very own live baby doll! Next time we go to Dallas, I imagine he will be playing even more with them.

After Dallas, we went to see Jordan’s side of the family. Our annual July 4 trip to Grand Cane, LA is always fun. Judah received lots of love here too. Dadi even hung the baby swing out on the oak tree in the front yard. Judah loved the swing so much that we bought one for our own home. If only we had an oak tree to hang it on….not so in Katy, TX. It seems that all the trees around here are only 10 feet tall. Sigh… Anyway, we really enjoyed our time in Grand Cane.

Our next trip took us to inner-city Houston on the 6th grade mission trip. You guessed it, Judah came along too! I’m so thankful to be able to bring him along. I just can’t imagine being away from him that long…at least not yet. We had such a great time serving the Lord with the 6th grade students. They truly served God with all their heart. Thanks to them and the leaders for letting Judah come along for his very first mission trip.

Lastly, Jordan, Judah and I took a mini vacation to Austin last weekend. It was a chance to get away as a family just to enjoy time together. Since Judah isn’t really concerned about our destinations yet, we just went to the San Marcos outlet mall, the state capitol building, and a few good restaurants. Judah learned to dance at Johhny Rocket’s restaurant. Watch the video! It’s pretty funny.

And finally we are home for a while. It felt good to put the suitcases up in the closet today knowing that I won’t need them for a while. All in all, it has been a great summer. I’m happy Judah got his first experiences at Kamp Kingsland and mission trip. I suspect those won’t be his last.

I’m counting my blessings today. My cup truly overflows. :)

1 Comment

Joy and Delight

April 6, 2011 at 10:54 pm (Baby Stevens)

“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.” Luke 1:14

Recently I came across this verse when reading about Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist. She was barren, but God blessed them and gave them a son. The angel of the Lord told them that he would be a joy and a delight. I know I’ve read this Scripture many times, but this time I stopped when I came across those words…”a joy and a delight.” No other words could be more perfect to describe how I feel about Judah. He truly is a joy and a delight in our lives.
For fun I thought I might research the meaning of these two words. The Greek word for joy in this verse is chara,and it means gladness. The Greek word for delight is agalliasis, and it means extreme joy! When I looked up the word delight in Webster’s dictionary, it said, “a high degree of gratification, extreme satisfaction; something that gives great pleasure.”
Judah’s presence in our lives fulfills all of the above definitions! He has certainly brought us extreme joy. There are so many times that I am just overwhelmed at how much I love and treasure him. Sometimes I wonder how it is even possible to love him so much. How could I love someone so much that I just met?! And really, he doesn’t even have to do anything for me to love and treasure him. Sure, I love it when he smiles and coos at us, but I love him just as much when he just lays in my arms or sleeps on my shoulder. It really just can’t be described in words.
As I write this, I can’t help but think about God’s perfect love for us. We don’t have to do anything to make Him love us; He just does. And I know my love for Judah doesn’t even compare to God’s perfect love for His children. Wow! God is so great. We can rest in His perfect love for us.
My original intent with this blog was to reflect on how Judah brings me so much joy and delight, but I’m left thinking about God’s perfect love and how I bring Him joy and delight. What a humbling thought. We serve an incredibly loving and gracious God. Rest in that today. We are secure in His love.

3 Comments

Life as a New Mom

January 27, 2011 at 10:02 pm (Baby Stevens)

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Words can’t describe the last ten days in my life! Judah Lang Stevens entered the world on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 11:38a.m. At that moment, mine and Jordan’s lives were changed forever. The Author of Life created this precious child and entrusted him into our care.

I have learned many things over the last ten days. Many of the things I have learned are practical in nature, like how to nurse a child and how to give a baby his first bath! But I am also learning some deep spiritual truths that have a brand new meaning to me.

Like last night…Judah was laying in his cradle and started to fuss. I gladly picked him up to soothe him. I walked him around the house and began to sing to him. For those that know me well, singing in tune is not a gift of mine, but Judah didn’t seem to mind! As I sang, Power of the Cross by Natalie Grant, I watched Judah’s face change from being upset to being at peace. In fact, I thought I had never seen his face so peaceful. And then a flood of emotions came over me.

I thought of Zephaniah 3:17, “…he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Just as I sang over this child in my arms to calm him and bring him peace, God does the same thing for His children. I pray I remember this next time I am feeling upset and discouraged.

I continued to sing to Judah and began to think back over the last couple of years. Jordan and I prayed fervently and waited on the Lord for this child. There were times that I wondered if it would be in God’s plan for us to get pregnant. Either way, God was sovereign and good. But God did choose to give us a child through pregnancy. As I held him, I could not hold back the tears. My heart was so full of praise to God, who answered our prayers and allowed us to have this little boy! Praise the Lord! He is so gracious to us!

Lastly, as I sang the lyrics to this song, I silently thanked the Lord for the power of the cross in my life and prayed that Judah would experience the power of the cross in his life too.

Motherhood is a great gift. I am loving every minute of it!

Power of the Cross By: Natalie Grant

Once in darkness now in light

Once blind now you see

Once a sinner now a saint

Once bound now free.

CHORUS:

That’s the power of the Cross See the chains fall

That’s the power of the Cross See the chains fall

Once a stranger now a child

Empty now filled

Once condemned now reconciled

Broken now healed

CHORUS

Once a prodigal now home

Once lost now found

Once an enemy now a friend

Once poor now crowned

CHORUS

2 Comments

The Radical Challenge

January 9, 2011 at 5:30 pm (Devotional Thoughts)

I recently finished the book “Radical” by David Platt. In it, David seeks to challenge the reader to live a Biblical Christian life vs. the American Christian life. Unfortunately because of self-sufficiency and materialism, American Christianity often looks much different than Biblical Christianity that we see in Scripture. I was challenged to the core as I read the book. Far too often, my life is characterized by what makes me comfortable and happy, and less by what brings God glory and furthers His kingdom on the earth.

David challenges the reader to do a one-year experiment by choosing to live like a Biblical Christian. He calls it radical, but truly it is simply Biblical. The first challenge is to read through the Bible in a year. The second is to pray for the entire world in a year. The third is to sacrifice money for a specific cause. The fourth is to go on a mission trip, and the fifth is to be involved in a church. Below are the specific ways I plan to take this challenge in 2011. I am writing this for accountability and maybe to challenge some readers to consider how they might serve God in 2011.

First, to read through the Bible in a year. Jordan and I have committed to do this together. We are using Kingsland’s Life Journal as a guide. Although I have read Scripture regularly in personal devotions for over 10 years, I have never read through the whole Bible in one year. I am excited about this, and pray that I draw near to God through studying His whole counsel in one year!

Second…to pray for the entire world in a year. David recommends “Operation World” to help give direction in praying for every nation. Jordan and I ordered this book last week and received it in the mail a few days ago. Wow! It is truly amazing. We are excited to pray for every nation this year, and to pray intelligently as we use this book as a resource. If you don’t have this book, I would highly recommend buying it!

Third, to sacrifice money for a specific cause. This is really where the Lord has been dealing with me. Let’s face it, we live in luxury if we live in America. We have far more than we need. Sacrifice seems like a strong word for the thing that I felt led to give up. I have had an I-phone for the last year. I love my I-phone. The convenience and “connectedness” I have through that little piece of equipment is great. But to have an I-phone requires a data plan that costs extra money each month. God led me to give up my I-phone and to instead give that money that I save each month to the poor. Jordan and I are supporting a poor boy in India, and I must say it felt good to write the first check to provide food and clothing for this boy, and at the same time to deny myself a luxury that I really don’t need. Again, sacrifice is a strong word for an I-phone, but as I adjust to my new, not-so-user-friendly cell phone, I am reminded to pray for this young boy.

Fourth, go on a mission trip. This one is a little tricky for me. With Judah arriving any day now, I suppose my travel will look a little different in 2011. I know I will help with the 6th grade mission trip to inner-city Houston in July, but I am not sure how else I will intentionally serve on a mission trip. This is something that I will continue to take to the Lord in prayer as we adjust to a new normal with Judah!

Lastly, commit to be involved in a local church. This is kind of a given for me, considering that I work at a local church. But I still want to be intentional in my relationships at the church. I want to continue to pour into those younger than me through LifeGroups and other student ministry relationships. And I want to continue to be mentored by older, Godly ladies in our church. I also am committed to a weekly accountability group with some friends from Kingsland.

I’m anticipating a great year in 2011! May the Lord refine me, challenge me, and make me more like Himself through this Radical experiment. And may His name be more famous through this vessel!

 

Leave a Comment

Reflections on Year 28

November 8, 2010 at 3:04 pm (Devotional Thoughts)

“I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Psalm 143:5

I celebrated by 29th birthday last week. The Kingsland Student Ministry staff took me to a birthday lunch. Over lunch, Paul asked me to tell them a few things about year twenty-eight in my life. In just a few moments, I realized that my twenty-eighth year of life was full! Many good things and hard things happened in my life. I want to be like the psalmist and to remember and meditate on what the Lord has done, so here goes…

In November 2009, I turned 28 years old. That marked one year that Jordan and I were trying to get pregnant. I had officially been diagnosed as an unexplained infertility case. The doctors could not tell us why we were not getting pregnant. In the months to follow, Jordan and I went through tests to try to determine the problem. Still nothing. Wow, what a journey that was. I must say, I had to turn to the Lord, but there were times that my mind was filled with more questions than answers. Why would this happen to me? Was it God’s will for us not have biological children? These are really tough questions. I wish I could say that I fully trusted God through this, but honestly, I struggled. My faith was tested, but through that I grew in my faith. One day I will write about the struggle with infertility. It can be a dark place. But I am ultimately thankful for the lessons the Lord taught me through the struggle of infertility in year twenty-eight!

In January 2010, God allowed me to go to Kolkata, India to work in Mother Teresa’s home for the destitute and the mentally challenged. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to go to India. While the sights and smells were hard to take in, I will never forget the precious faces of the poor in India. Mother Teresa looked for Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor, and I think I learned to do this also.  I found myself feeling such compassion and love for the strangers that I met. What a gift it is to serve others and to truly love them. I learned to serve with joy too. I hope to never forget those life lessons.

In May of 2010, Jordan and I found out we were pregnant with our first child! The gift I thought would never come had come! We later found out that our first child is a boy! We can’t wait to meet him in January 2011.  I have already experienced some of the greatest joys through this pregnancy. What a gift. We pray that we will steward this gift well.

In July of 2010, we had the amazing opportunity to go to Kauai, Hawaii. Once again, we never thought we would be able to go to Hawaii. Through the generosity of a family in our church, we were able to go! We invited Jordan’s parents and my mom along for the trip. The sights truly are breathtaking! We made such good memories with our parents, and we are so glad we got to experience Hawaii together! We were able to go on a boat tour, helicopter tour, a luau, visit several beaches, go on a short hike and so much more! We are thankful to God for this opportunity to get away and make great memories with our family.

Year twenty-eight was a special year.  While these are only a few of the events of the year, these are a few I’m especially thankful for! I pray the Lord was honored and glorified through every moment. May year twenty-nine of my life bring me closer to the Lord and make His name more famous!

1 Comment

The Perversion of a Worthy Cause

October 8, 2010 at 12:55 pm (Uncategorized)

Have you heard about the new breast cancer awareness mission through facebook? I hadn’t, but I quickly learned whenever I started to see some unusual facebook status updates on many young women’s statuses. “I like it on the floor.” “I like it on the bed.” And many more. So what are they talking about? They are answering the question, “Where do you like to put your purse?”

Yes, I know…what does this have to do with breast cancer? That’s my question too. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for raising awareness for breast cancer, but is this the best approach for that? It’s obvious that these status updates certainly don’t get people to think about breast cancer awareness. It’s yet another tactic to lure our society into lustful, sexual thoughts and temptations. I personally think we have gone too far when we must revert to sexual facebook status updates to raise awareness for a worthy cause.

As Christians, what do we do about this? A couple of things come to mind. First, I would suggest we do not participate in this awareness campaign through facebook. I can’t help but think about young men checking their facebook home page, only to see many of their friends’ (girls’) updates stating where they like it. Just where do you think their mind will go? Aren’t we to refrain from causing our brothers in Christ to stumble? I’d like to suggest that listing “where we like it” even if it is referring to where we like to put our purse, falls into the category of causing someone to stumble.

I also think as Christians, we should take this opportunity to realize that we are often desensitized to the sin all around us. We are so used to living in a world that is literally surrounding us with sexual messages, that we often don’t even realize when we are living and acting just like the world. Don’t get me wrong. I often realize that I am desensitized to sin all around me too. But what do we do about this? I think we have to pray that God would transform our minds. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Our minds are transformed when we immerse ourselves, not in the culture, but in the word of God, the only source of truth.

Now if you are reading this and happen to be one of the ones that have a status that reveals where you like your purse, please don’t take this as judgment, but rather as accountability. I just feel compelled to challenge us to think through this. Does this really glorify the name of Christ? Or does it just blend in with the world?

Lastly, I’d like to state again. I am a huge supporter of breast cancer awareness. I know many people that have fought this battle, and I know I will know many more. I just pray that we find other ways to support and raise awareness for a worthy cause.

 

4 Comments

Judah Lang Stevens

September 12, 2010 at 8:02 pm (Baby Stevens)

We recently found out that we are expecting a little boy! We were shocked and very excited! We knew right away what we would name him…Judah. It’s not the most popular name of the day, nor one that many would think to name a child, but we felt the Lord confirm this as his name before he was even on the way.

Jordan and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Israel in April of 2008. We learned so many life-changing truths as we studied and explored the Scriptures through the context of the land. One of the truths that we learned was the importance of the meaning of a name. We learned to study the meaning of the names in Scripture. Isaac means laughter. Samson means light. Delilah means darkness, etc. We learned that a person’s name, especially in Scripture, was a person’s identity and destiny. By knowing the meaning of a name, you could learn more about what was going on in the story. Names were very important. Through these many lessons, we would never think about names the same. Our favorite “sounding” name or even the popularity of a name no longer were the most important reasons to choose a child’s name. The meaning of a name now mattered more to us.

It was also on this trip that we learned the meaning of the name Judah. Judah means “Yahweh be praised” or simply “Praise the LORD.” Jordan and I both immediately loved that name and knew we would one day use this name if God gave us a son. And now we have a son on the way!

What amazes me about our God is how Judah’s life has already led to the praise of our God. Our struggle with infertility and the 18 month wait for a pregnancy was difficult, but that long journey caused us and many others to give praise to God once we learned we were pregnant. I couldn’t help but smile the other day as I thought back to when we announced we were pregnant. Many people’s responses were, “Praise the Lord!” How fitting! I recall a conversation with a 6th grade student about our news. She already knew we struggled with infertility, and so when she found out I was pregnant, her reply was, “Wow, so God did that!” I smiled and said, “You’re right. God did do that!” Her knowing about our pregnancy caused her to give praise to the one true God!

Psalm 145: 3 says, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” We plan to have this verse painted on Judah’s wall in his bedroom.

May this praise of God continue as Judah continues to develop in the womb. And our prayer is that his life will always bring praise to God. May this be his identity and destiny.

1 Comment

Our Peace Offering

August 30, 2010 at 10:05 am (Baby Stevens)

In Leviticus we learn that the Israelites offered five different types of offerings to God. One of those offerings was a peace offering. This was not a required offering, but one that they brought when they wanted to express something to God. One type of peace offering was a thanksgiving offering. The Israelites were careful to not only go to God when they needed something (ex. forgiveness through a sin offering), but also when they simply wanted to thank God. It was no small task to offer a peace offering. They would choose an animal from their herd without blemish, take it to sacrifice to God, let the fat of the animal burn as an offering to God, then share the meat from the sacrifice as a meal with their friends and family. It was a celebration, a party, to thank the Lord!

When Jordan and I were trying to get pregnant, we studied about this type of peace offering. We agreed at that time that we wanted to offer a “peace offering” to God once we knew the outcome of our journey. We didn’t know if that outcome would be adoption or pregnancy, but we wanted to make sure we expressed our gratitude to God. Months later, we found out we were pregnant! We wanted to stay true to our conviction to make sure we offered thanks to God.

So we did. But what does a peace offering look like in Katy, Texas in 2010? We certainly did not desire nor plan to sacrifice an animal! But we did take some practices from the Israelites and tried to practice them in our context. We prepared a meal, invited some friends to our home and gave thanks to God through prayer and celebration. It was an amazing night. There are a few things that I want to make sure I remember about this night…

1. The Preparation for the Night:

My mom came into town to celebrate with us and to help get ready. I cannot imagine doing this without my mom. She worked hard to help me and Jordan clean the house and to prepare the food. I love my mom. Also, while preparing for the celebration, I remembered that I would usually grow stressed in the preparation of such a big event in our home. But God helped me to remember the purpose for the preparation, and this helped me work and prepare with joy.

2. The Prayers/Blessings on the wall:

My friend, Jessie, gave us a wonderful idea to invite our friends at the party to write prayers and blessings on the wall in the soon-to-be baby’s room. We gave our friends the opportunity to do just that, and I am so, so glad. Later after the celebration after everyone went home, Jordan and I just sat in the room and read the writings on the wall. I wept as I rejoiced in the Lord at that moment. It’s so hard to believe that we are now expecting a child, and we are so blessed to have such amazing friends that took part in this night with us. A part of me doesn’t even want to paint over the blessings now. I feel like I could read them over and over as we pray for and await this child.

3. My Husband:

Jordan is such a wonderful, Godly man. I love how he leads me and our home. He led the evening by explaining to our friends why we were gathering in this way to thank God. He also wrote on the wall. He is already such a wonderful father. His prayer was not just for a happy, healthy child, but for a child who knows God and lives for His glory. I think I will read his prayer written on the wall over and over. I am so thankful for my husband and can’t wait to raise children with him.

4. Our Friends:

Words really can’t express how much Jordan and I appreciate our friends. It means the world to us that they walked with us through our journey of waiting for a child, but we also simply appreciate them taking the time to give thanks to God with us! Friends truly are a blessing from the Lord.

My heart is so full…full of praise to God. Not just for our answered prayer or our precious friends, but simply because of God’s goodness. Thank you Lord for who You are. There is none like you.

3 Comments

« Older entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.